UNCTAD call for papers: Competition policy and development

UNCTAD is seeking contributions from experts and scholars to form part of an edited collection of essays specifically examining the topics mentioned below. The proposed research will fall within the broad theme of competition policy and competitiveness. In exploring the nature of the relationship between competition policy and competitiveness the emphasis will be on empirical research which will (i) assess the impact of competition law and policy enforcement (or lack thereof) on competitiveness; (ii) test competition theory and research findings through a series of case studies of country experiences, and (iii) formulate policy recommendations.

Research themes

The following themes could be included in the research project. Other similar topics can be considered however and we encourage any scholar interested in the general aims of this collection to contact us:

· Anti-competitive practices and their adverse effects on developing countries; it is often suggested that developing countries stand to lose the most from anti-competitive practices in the international economy, such as international hard-core cartels, vertical restraints, and foreclosure. This is a frequently used argument and one proffered as inducement to developing countries for a multilateral framework on competition. An attempt could be made to test this hypothesis. In conjunction, the question of whether and under what conditions cartels can be beneficial to developing countries (as suggested by some delegations at the WTO) could also be tested.· Competition policy as a stimulus for enterprise development; would explore the extent to which the enactment of competition legislation and the adoption of competition law and policy has the effect of increasing a country’s overall enterprise development capabilities. Based on various “best-practices” identified, a number of policy guidelines would be developed.· Competition policy, supply capacity and export diversification; the issue under investigation would be the impact of competition law and policy on firms’ incentives for the acquisition of know-how including related investments in physical and process technology, networking, and sustainable increases in firm supply capacity. Based on these findings, the next step would assess the impact of competition (either through liberalisation, deregulation or competition enforcement) on firms’ ability to upgrade their competitiveness or opening up opportunities for export diversification in emerging dynamic sectors.· Exemptions and exceptions from competition: what are the implications for international performance? It is often argued that firms/sectors facing strong domestic competition are also the ones performing best at international level. The study would investigate whether industries/sectors that are exempted/excepted from competition policy perform better or worse than those covered. This question, for which the other side of the coin is the “national champion” argument would be tested empirically in the context of selected developing countries.Methodological approachThe project therefore envisages a hybrid methodological approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis, supported by cross-national and sectoral case studies. For instance, quantitative indicators of effectiveness of antitrust and competition policy enforcement based on data from each country’s competition authorities and supplemented with assessments by legal practitioners (such as institutional effectiveness, competition advocacy, law enforcement) will be used not only in connection with entrepreneurship promotion but also export diversification. Other useful indicators that will have the potential to serve a broader objective (future research, activities of competition authorities, etc.) could be collected based on a common methodology that would allow cross-country comparisons, e.g. market structure of key sectors, natural monopolies, market concentration, size of firms, rules governing entry and exit, ownership structure (domestic/regional/foreign, private/state-owned), etc.

Application procedures and deadlines

. sample of previously published work that is relevant to topics outlined above.

Deadline for submission: 20 January 2008Researchers (external consultants) based in developing countries, ideally affiliated with some institutions that could form the basis of a longstanding research partnership with UNCTAD are particularly encouraged to apply.

Pablo Ibáñez Colomo, London School of Economics - Law Department offers A Contribution to ‘Shaping Competition Policy in the Era of Digitisation’. ABSTRACT: This paper presents some basic principles for conducting the antitrust analysis of multi-sided platforms in light of...

SAVE THE DATE CCP 15th Annual Conference 6 - 7 June 2019, London Machine Learning & AI as Business Tools Threat or blessing for competition? The power of modern computing including Machine Learning and AI represents a transformation in technology...

David S. Evans, Global Economics Group; University College London analyzes Attention Platforms, the Value of Content, and Public Policy. ABSTRACT: This paper shows that two related aspects of attention platforms are important for the sound economic analysis of public policy...

Introduction Servier v. Commission (Case T‑691/14) is the second decision of the General Court of the European Union on “pay-for-delay” patent settlements in the pharmaceutical industry,[1] following the 2016 decision of the Court on Lundbeck v. Commission (Case T-472/13).[2] In 2014, the European Commission imposed fines totalling €427.7 million for violati […]

A fine of slightly above EUR 400 000 was imposed to the biggest Bulgarian telecom operator – A1 Bulgaria, member of Telekom Austria Group (“A1”) for abuse of stronger bargaining position in its contractual relationship with its former sales representative – Handy Bulgaria (“Handy”). The relationship between the two companies started back in 2005, when Handy. […]

The European Court of Justice (CJEU) held recently in Apple Sales International v MJA acting as liquidator of eBizcuss.com[1] that claims alleging abuse of a dominant position could come within the terms of a jurisdiction clause even where the clause did not expressly refer to claims based on competition law. Relevant Rules The rules... Continue reading

In a decision pondering the adequacy of the Sherman Act to protect consumers from consciously parallel conduct among oligopolists, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago upheld dismissal of a class action against containerboard manufacturers for conspiring to increase prices and reduce output between 2004 and 2010. Although the complaining direct purchasers of […]

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on November 26 in a suit alleging that the Ninth Circuit erred in holding that iPhone App Store customers were direct purchasers of those apps and had standing to sue Apple for the monopolization and attempted monopolization of the market for the sales of iPhone apps. The liberal justices... Continue reading The post Wi […]

In an earlier post I discussed the Fiscal Year 2018 Antitrust Division statistics for criminal cases filed and noted that they were down dramatically (here). This is not a one year drop off, but a trend since the high water mark of 2015 (here). It is not just case filings that are down, but also... Continue reading The post What Can/Should be Done To Pick […]

December 16, 2018 Emond asked me to review their new Canadian competition law text, Competition Enforcement and Litigation in Canada, authored by Antonio Di Domenico. This new text, which was published in October, 2018, is generally intended to provide an overview of Canadian competition law, with a focus on competition enforcement and litigation: “This defi […]

December 6, 2018 Practical Law Canada Competition has published a new Legal Update, which discusses a recent important Quebec Court of Appeal decision, in which the court increased the penalties in a municipal works bid-rigging case in Quebec. Below is an excerpt with a link to the full Update. ____________________ A recent decision by the […]

December 4, 2018 On December 3, 2018, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued a summary of its anti-spam legislation (CASL) enforcement over the past six months (from April 1, 2018 to September 30, 2018) (Enforcement Highlights). See: Enforcing Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL): Actions Carried Out by the CRTC Betwe […]

Digital Markets, Mobile Payments Systems, and Development – Competition Policy Implications in Developing Countries in Light of the EU Experience “Abstract The digitization of economic activity has important socio-economic development implications and at the same time creates challenges for antitrust analysis. These implications and challenges have been met […]

An Empirical Analysis of Algorithmic Pricing on Amazon Marketplace “Abstract The rise of e-commerce has unlocked practical applications for algorithmic pricing (also called dynamic pricing algorithms), where sellers set prices using computer algorithms. Travel websites and large, well known e-retailers have already adopted algorithmic pricing strategies, but […]

The importance of talking to computer scientists before making assumptions about what pricing algorithms can do: Algorithms, Machine Learning, and Collusion “Abstract This paper discusses the question whether self-learning price-setting algorithms are able to coordinate their pricing behaviour to achieve a collusive outcome that maximizes the joint profits o […]

Defining a set of conduct as a single and continuous infringement (SCI) has significant consequences for parties to a cartel, in particular for their exposure in follow-on damages actions. It is no surprise, therefore, that the increased prevalence of damages actions in Europe has led to greater scrutiny of the Commission’s findings about SCI. In […]

As avid readers of social media, Politico, Chillin Competition and other places will know, I left the Commission at the end of February. On 4 April I joined Covington’s growing competition team in Brussels. I will continue to write on this blog – though experience has taught me to make no promises as to whether […]